1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a multi-flash lamp array with a redundant fuse arrangement and, more particularly, to a multi-flash lamp array comprising a plurality of flash lamp pairs sequentially fused in a manner operating to fire the second flash lamp of each flash lamp pair subsequent to the firing of the first flash lamp of the pair together with a redundant fuse arrangement operating to sequentially fire a second flash lamp in the immediately preceding flash lamp pair in the event that the first flash lamp in the immediately preceding pair of flash lamps failed to fire.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Both the Polaroid SX-70 Land camera and Pronto! camera, made and sold by the Polaroid Corporation of Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A., are adapted to make photographs automatically either by ambient light or with the aid of a flash lamp array. For this purpose, the camera is provided with an accessory socket in the shutter and lens housing which will accept a connector blade from a multi-flash lamp array. The flash lamp array includes five flash lamps arranged in one side of the array and five flash lamps arranged in the other side of the array so that five sequential exposures can be made, each with a different bulb, when the array is inserted in the socket in either position. The remaining five lamps can be sequentially used by removing the flash array, and putting it back in facing the opposite direction.
The camera is provided with a flash fire sequencing circuit to select the next unfired bulb for energizing each successive photographic exposure cycle. Since the flash fire sequencing circuit need only be capable of sequentially firing five flash lamps in a row, it is provided with five flash fire control circuits in correspondence with the five flash lamps in either side of the multi-flash lamp array.
Since the aforementioned multi-flash lamp array must be withdrawn from the camera socket, turned around and reinserted subsequent to the firing of five flash lamps, it may be desirable to provide all ten of the flash lamps on one side of the flash lamp array in order to eliminate the inconvenience of having to remove and reinsert the flash array when half of the bulbs are expended. However, such a rearrangement of the individual flash bulbs for the linear flash array might necessitate a redesign to the flash fire sequencing circuit to provide additional flash firing circuits to accommodate the additional flash lamps on one side of the flash array. Such a redesign would be expensive and costly and would not permit the use of the new ten flash lamp arrays with older cameras having only five flash fire circuits. Therefore, it is desirable to maintain the original flash firing sequencing circuit with its attendant five flash fire control circuits and to adapt a new ten flash lamp array to be sequentially fired from the original five flash fire control circuits.
Therefore, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a multi-flash lamp array wherein the flash lamps are connected to be sequentially fired in pairs with a redundant fusing arrangement provided to guarantee the firing of the second flash lamp in each pair in the event that the first flash lamp of that pair is defective and thereby fails to fire.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a new multiple flash lamp array wherein the flash lamps are fusably connected in pairs in a manner whereby the ignition of the first flash lamp of each pair operates by way of an ignition responsive switch or fuse to connect the second flash lamp in that pair as well as the second flash lamp in the immediately preceding pair to the flash fire circuit so as to enable the subsequent firing of the second flash lamp in the immediately preceding pair of flash lamps during the next exposure cycle in the event that the first lamp in the immediately preceding flash lamp pair was not fired during the preceding exposure cycle.
Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter. The invention accordingly comprises the mechanism and system possessing the construction, the combination of elements and the arrangement of parts which are exemplified in the following and detailed disclosure.